Before you start your journey on a hair transplant, it can be daunting thinking about what is going to happen. Not only do you have to find a hair restoration surgeon but you have to know they are trusted too. When looking for a skilled surgeon you are going to want someone who had years of experience just like Dr. Robin Unger. Any skilled surgeon is going to lay out what to expect during the process.
This all starts with what the transplant is going to involve. Hair transplant involves removing small punch grafts from the scalp from a donor area and cutting this into smaller pieces. Then those grafts are relocated to bald or thinning areas of the scalp. The size of each graft is going to depend on the method that was used. Round punch grafts normally contain anywhere from 10 to 15 hairs. The smaller mini-graft contains anywhere from 2 to 4 hairs.
Generally, there is more than one session needed to achieve satisfactory fullness. Between each session, there are several months to allow your scalp to fully heal before starting the process again. It can take up to two years before you see the final result with a transplant series.
When the Surgery Takes Place
After you’ve talked to your surgeon about what the right method is for you and you have everything set, you can finally have the procedure done. Just before the surgery happens the donor area will be trimmed short. This is to ensure that the graft area can be easily accessed and removed.
From there you will be numbed and the grafting process will begin. For punch grafts, your doctor may use a special tube-like instrument made of carbon steel that punches the round graft from the donor site. This will then be put where you would like your new hairline to be. For other types of grafts, your doctor will use a scalpel to remove small sections of hair-bearing scalp, which is then divided into tiny sections, and then transplanted into tiny holes or slits within the scalp in the desired area.
When your grafts are taken your doctor may inject small amounts of saline solution into your scalp to help maintain proper skin strength. The donor site holes may be closed with stitches. Most of the time the scars that these leave are hidden by the surrounding hair.
In order to maintain healthy circulation, the grafts are placed about one-eighth of an inch apart. Your doctor will take great care in removing and placing the grafts to ensure that the transplanted hair will grow in a natural direction.
Once all the grafts are placed the session is complete. Your scalp will be cleaned and then bandaged. Depending on your doctor you may not need a pressure bandage for a day or two. The most important part is to not itch your scalp during the healing process. From there it is a waiting game to see the results.
If you are considering hair transplant surgery look into finding a qualified hair transplant doctor, like someone from the office of Dr. Robin Unger, to help you through this journey.